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The configured source value 7 is provenance only and must never be described as the number of platforms studied.","The finalrankingtable is the sole authority for rank, platform mentions, platform share, average rank, and best rank. Ignore any conflicting value embedded in a entity evidence bundle.","The Consensus Ranking table must contain exactly one row per finalrankingtable entity, in that order, using that exact entityname. Never split one ranked entity into two product, model, SKU, or product-line rows, and never add another ranking row for a brand already listed. Put recommended products or plans inside that entity's ranked section.","Platform mentions count only ranking-discovery mentions. Do not substitute the number of platforms that later completed a fit assessment.","Citation IDs inside each entity bundle are local to that entity. Consolidate sources by URL using the supplied source catalog.","The URLs were collected from platform responses and were not independently validated by either writer stage.","Each fitreviewurlorplaceholder is the final site-relative CMS path for that entity's review. Link the entity name to that exact path exactly once in its ranked prose section, outside tables and headings. Never replace it with a run ID, report ID, UUID, or local output path.","Use the exact entity-namespaced citation IDs from the source catalog (e.g. e1:); never transfer a citation between entities."],"methodology":{"fit_rating_contract":["strong","good","mixed","weak","uncertain"],"included_valid_platform_count":7,"maximum_finalists":10,"minimum_mentions":2,"name":"AI Marketing Consensus Index cross-platform AI consensus analysis","platforms_included":["anthropic","deepseek","google","grok","kimi","openai","perplexity"],"platforms_queried":["openai","anthropic","deepseek","grok","perplexity","kimi","google"],"stages":["ranking_discovery","fit_assessment","normalization","editorial_synthesis"],"version":"alias-table-1"},"provenance":{"generated_at":"2026-09-18 12:58:01.587201+00","research_date":"2026-09-18","source_snapshot_sha256":"bb17f60be71ba43facdbbe0c7b04595fba91e9ae813a6dce908dc51cf13fe82f","verification_scope":"public_verification"},"ranking":{"candidates_evaluated":52,"qualified_finalists":7,"ranking_unit":"Audit company, audit service, or advisory provider"},"schema_version":4,"summary":"Profound is the consensus leader for companies that want a documented AI search baseline before signing a GEO agency contract, ranking first on the strength of two platform mentions, a 2.0 average listed position, and a best position of first. Semrush, AI Search Optimization Agency, Ahrefs, and Peec AI are the strongest alternatives for distinct buyer needs: Semrush for teams already inside an SEO suite, AI Search Optimization Agency for a fixed-price one-time audit, Ahrefs for search-demand-backed prompt coverage, and Peec AI for citation-source gap analysis. Seven platforms were studied —…","target_buyer":"Companies evaluating GEO agencies that want a baseline AI search audit before signing a contract","topic":{"base_category":"AI search audits and market intelligence","category_criteria":["Measure current AI recommendation visibility","citations","competitor performance","high-value prompts","citation architecture","and source gaps so it can evaluate future agency performance against a documented starting point"],"geography":"United States","slug":"best-ai-search-audits-before-hiring-a-geo-agency","title":"Best AI Search Audits Before Hiring a GEO Agency","use_case":"AI Search Audits Before Hiring a GEO Agency"}}